SLIM LORIS
Red Loris Yellow Loris
Stockholm, Sweden
Slim Loris are back at it, throwing creative sounds at the wall and happily finding all of them have stuck and for good reason, they all sound marvellous. Their latest album, ‘Red Loris Yellow Loris,’ is a blend of new rock, old pop and 70s vibe sounds. It comes to us so clear and devoid of any profound drive. The album doesn’t feel like it is pining for money or attention. Quite the opposite. ‘Red Loris Yellow Loris’ feels as if it is happy in its own little rocking world. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch a glimpse of the acclaimed Slim Loris, dosing and mellowing out to its own sounds. It’s making its own music, for its own pleasure. We’re just lucky enough to listen.
We begin with a belter, a single in its own right, ‘Sticky Toffee Pudding.’ It's a track that builds on some 60s hard rock influence. It's bitter in the open; loud guitar strums back and forth on a grungy melody. The vocals slide in, Bowie-Esque and oh so bitter-sweet. It's a match made in heaven and we haven’t even seen the half of it. Drums, bass and backing vocals explode through the track, lending it one of the best choruses on the album, and one of the best choruses I have heard in new rock for a long time.
The modern rock sound carries through, ‘Dragonfly Born on a Rainy Day’ is dark, it sets the mood with low bass, percussion with attitude. But it's not all doom and gloom, the guitar snaps a sharp melody and brings the song to life. It evolves into an upbeat track that follows the light and never stops moving. ‘17 again’ sets an indie rock style to the now classic Slim Loris vocal setting. It's minimalistic and all about the melody. It trills back and forth on a barbed riff that hooks you to kingdom come and isn’t letting go until you meet the king.
As you progress on the album, the sound expands. ‘Someone Alike’ takes the 60s rock tones and adds some Killers to the mix. It's aloof, wonderfully vibrant and a surefire stadium cracker. ‘The Herd’ blows through the emotional side of the album. Slow acoustic plucking opens it up, electric bowing the melody. Vocal layers cascade into infinity, leaving you wondering how far you can hear. A mesmerising track that glistens like starlight. ‘One for the Road’ brings back the gloom. It's gritty and feels like modern indie at its very best. Looking at bands like The Blossoms and The Amazons, I’m not sure either of them have hit the nail on the head as sure as Slim Loris. Explosive, melodic and catchy in the best of ways.
Slim Loris are my new favourite underground band. Finishing off the album we have ‘Awkward boy:’ bright like acoustic Foo Fighters; ‘Burden of Youth:’ synth wave mashup of MUSE and GAGA meets Depeche Mode; and ‘Let me in:’ a woeful and hopeful track that houses some truly wonderful riffs. It's expansive, creative, played masterfully and it's all so new.
Good music is nice to listen to, it’s smooth going. You get the ideas of the artist implanted into your mind and you go along on their ride. Brilliant music, however, creates ideas within you. You sit and ponder the melodies and harmonies, get taken away on riff-rafts and are swallowed by funk-mouthed bass. You weave your own ideas with the chords of their creativity. Slim Loris’s ‘Red Loris Yellow Loris’ is some of the most brilliant music I have heard in a while.